Cape Lookout Lighthouse in North Carolina is easily recognizable to the mariner by it's distinctive pattern of black and white diamonds. The sea captain could also be aware of his location by the light pattern.

Photo by Ross Tracy

There was and is a third way that this famous tower helps the mariner establish his location. What is it?

So I would ventrue to say that you are looking for the fact that when you are on the north or south sides of the lighthouse and you see the back diamonds, you are in danger, and when you are facing the light from the east or west and see the white diamonds, you are in the clear.

When the design was first painted on, they were intended to be checkers. All the black checkers face north & south, and all the white checkers face east & west. Of course, the checkers really looked like diamonds.

So Cape Lookout's daymark carries two functions. It is recognizable by the pattern itself, and it readily gives the mariner a direction.

This was an interesting trivia question you posted. I wonder now if any other light towers were painted is such a way to identify hazards.

At some lighthouses the lights had red sectors to identify danger areas. Can anyone speculate why Cape Lookout light would not have had a red sector that aligned with the danger area of the hazardous Cape Lookout Shoals to the South of this lighthouse?